This simple question is actually quite difficult to answer. In daily life, we see people introducing themselves and describing themselves on social media platforms as “Mom of 2” or a “Fashion Designer”. Our jobs or the roles we take over in daily life don’t necessarily describe our personality. At most, they are a result of who we are.

Defining a brand is as difficult as defining who we are because brands have their own personality. And careful about this: I am not speaking about the creator’s personality or the marketing team’s personality. A brand should be considered separately. Imagine your brand as a person. Do it, cause it’s fun, you are kind of playing god. Creating something from scratch gives great satisfaction. And you are free. Your brand can have any personality you want as long as it creates demand or desire. But, in order to get there, there is one crucial step that many small businesses skip to work on: defining the core values.

So, what does this mean? Let’s say you are opening a small artisanal winery in somewhere in Europe. Before doing anything else, there is one simple step. You have to know what your brand stands for, what your values are and what your brand believes in. Is your winery going to be innovative and focus on creating a wow effect? Is it going to be sustainable? Just be straightforward! Take a board marker and start brainstorming until your list is meaningful, memorable, actionable and unique. It sounds extremely simple I know. It kind of is and kind of isn’t… It seems so simple but it takes more energy and time than you think. But once it’s done, everything else, meaning the brand design, tone of voice and all sorts of communication and relationship management will evolve around your core values. That’s when it gets easy! It will define your brand’s personality, how it will speak, behave and if it will have the chance to differentiate!

So, before jumping into designing beautiful wine labels or searching for the perfect hash tags to use on Instagram, make sure that you do everything in order. You might have the most impressive website explaining your winemaking methods or viticulture practices. But this doesn’t mean that you are telling a story to your clients or leaving a memorable impact on them. So, start writing down whom your brand is going to be/ Starting with its values! This will lead you to the heart of your brand’s identity. Then you can start playing with the fun stuff. You’ll have the insight to brief your web designer or architect who will work on your wine bar’s interior design. And more importantly, you’ll have the luxury to connect with people who have similar values and appreciates everything your brand stands for. Enjoy!